🥼organic chemistry review

Tollens’ reagent

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025

Definition

Tollens’ reagent is a chemical solution used to detect the presence of aldehyde functional groups in organic compounds, indicating their ability to be oxidized. It consists of silver nitrate in ammonia, which reacts with aldehydes to form a silver mirror on the reaction container.

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